1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for identifying connector terminals, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for identifying terminals which are plated with different kinds of plating materials such as gold or tin and are mounted in connectors attached to ends of wiring harnesses connecting with each other.
2. Prior Art
As this kind of apparatus, conventional apparatuses having such a structure as illustrated in FIG. 9 have been utilized. In the figure, numeral 1 denotes a receptacle connector, wherein a plurality of terminal openings 11a, in which terminal pins (not illustrated in the figure) of a plug connector are inserted, are formed in a receptacle connector housing 11. And, inside of terminal openings 11a, receptacle connector terminals 12, which making electric connections with inserted terminal pins, are received and held therein. The receptacle connector terminals 12 are positioned as a part of the terminal 12 being able to be seen from the terminal opening 11a.
By the way, with a reduction in weight of wiring harnesses, a miniaturization of connectors and, further, a miniaturization of connector terminals have been making a progress in recent years. This small-sized terminals are plated with gold or tin according to their purposes. For example, to terminals for circuits of air bags not used except an emergency and requiring high reliability, gold-plated terminals are applied even though those costs are high. Since other terminals in the same connector may be tin-plated ones, gold-plated terminals and tin-plated terminals, being mixed, are mounted together in one connector.
However, the both terminals are normally formed in the same shape and in the same size for reason of using the same forming mold. Therefore, even in a connector slot to receive a gold-plated terminal, a tin-plated terminal can be inserted and attached.
As a result, it causes a wrong arrangement of the terminals with high possibility. That is, it is not intended to prevent a wrong arrangement of the terminals by differing the terminals in shape such, that a wrong terminal can not be attached.
Particularly, when a tin-plated terminal is mounted wrongly to a slot for a gold-plated terminal, it causes the problem that a reliability of the connectors is considerably reduced.
In FIG. 9, numeral 2 denotes an apparatus for identifying terminals which are plated with different kinds of material such as gold or tin, wherein whether each of plated terminals is correctly arranged in each corresponding slot of a connector 1 is recognized in a final inspection in regard to a wiring harnesses production. This apparatus is comprised of a CCD (charge-coupled device) color camera 21 to pickup images and an image processor 22 for processing image data to identify terminals. The CCD camera 21 pick-ups images as transferring intermittently along a connector front face with the terminal openings 11a. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, image data of a couple of the terminal openings 11a of which images being taken at the same time thereon, are successively outputted. In FIG. 10, numeral 12 denotes terminals which can be partially seen through the terminal openings 11a.
The image processor 22 is inputted image data from the CCD color camera 21, processes the image data, extracts color characteristics, and, based on the extracted color characteristics, recognizes whether the terminals attached inside of the terminal openings 11a are plated with gold or with tin. According to the recognition, a decision is made as to whether each predetermined terminal has been arranged inside of its corresponding terminal opening 11a. The results are outputted in the form of a signal "OK" (right) or a signal "NG" (wrong).